Researchers found that Indian Literature primarily expressed through Music.Folk Music is considered as the earliest form of Indian Literature.One of this literature is Vaishnab Padabali which expressed through Kirtan Songs. Vaishnab Padabali covers the period of 15th to 17th centuries of the Bengali medieval literature.The Padabali contains Vaishnab poetry focusing on the Radha Krishna legend.
The word "Pad" literally meaning 'a short songs of two paragraphs or short verse'.But in the Chaitanya Deb's era, a Vaishnab scholar Sukumar Sen comes out with a different meaning of the word "Pad". According to him, the meaning of Pad is 'the set of words to express feelings'. And the term "Padabali" literally means 'gathering or collection of many songs in a book form'. The Vaishnab poems and short verses are also gathered in a book form which named as "Vaishnab Padabali".
Vaishnab Padabali is considered as the text for the Kirtan. The poets Vidyapati and Chandidas generated the initial tradition of Padabali literature in Bengali language.As the majority Vaishnab poetry are written in a highly musical language, known as Brajabuli language. Brajabali language is the product of the combination of Bengali and Maithili (the language of Mithila).This language contains variable vowel length,moraic meter,archaic vocabulary and a minimum of grammar, offered to the better equipped writers a ready-made sonorous instrument.Later Chaitanya Deb nourished the Vaishnab Padabali.
Vaishnab songs composed predominantly by Vaishnab saints cum composers as an integral part of the Vaishnab religious movement.This Vaishnab movement preached Krishna bhakti ; devotion to Lord Krishna.The poems and songs became an important medium for propagating bhakti cult.As the mainstay for the themes of those songs Jaydev stood out to be the earliest principal source.He is regarded as the adipadkarta or the earliest composer of Vaisnab songs.Thus from Jaydev's period Krishna lore was accepted as the universal source material for composing Vaishnab songs.
Earlier the Vaishnab singers are majorly consisting of 'Mahajans' or 'Gurus'. So Vaishnab Padabali also known as "Mahajan Padabali".Vaishnab Padabali are divided into four categories:
1) Radha-Krishna Padabali
2) Gour Padabali
3) Bhajan Padabali
4) Ragatwik Padabali
As Shri Chaitanya Deb makes Vaishnab Padabali popular, many songs are composed on the life-story of Shri Chaitanya Deb also.Although thousands of Vaishnab songs are based on Lord Krishna.Songs based on Chaitanya Deb are sung as the Vaishnab religious exercise.
The Vaishnab Padabali also commonly known as "Padabali Kirtan" because the musical style in which Vaishnab Padabali are sung is called Kirtan,continued to form the mainstream Bengali art music when the indigenous growth of music in Bengal was hampered by the onslaught of incoming Hindustani musical forces.Thus, Vaishnab music was extremely influential in the evolution of Indian musical tradition and Vaishnab Padabali left a lasting mark on Bengali literature for eight to ten hundred years which is perhaps no less than a miracle.
References:
Padabali Kirtaner Itihash - Swami Praganananda
The word "Pad" literally meaning 'a short songs of two paragraphs or short verse'.But in the Chaitanya Deb's era, a Vaishnab scholar Sukumar Sen comes out with a different meaning of the word "Pad". According to him, the meaning of Pad is 'the set of words to express feelings'. And the term "Padabali" literally means 'gathering or collection of many songs in a book form'. The Vaishnab poems and short verses are also gathered in a book form which named as "Vaishnab Padabali".
Vaishnab Padabali is considered as the text for the Kirtan. The poets Vidyapati and Chandidas generated the initial tradition of Padabali literature in Bengali language.As the majority Vaishnab poetry are written in a highly musical language, known as Brajabuli language. Brajabali language is the product of the combination of Bengali and Maithili (the language of Mithila).This language contains variable vowel length,moraic meter,archaic vocabulary and a minimum of grammar, offered to the better equipped writers a ready-made sonorous instrument.Later Chaitanya Deb nourished the Vaishnab Padabali.
Vaishnab songs composed predominantly by Vaishnab saints cum composers as an integral part of the Vaishnab religious movement.This Vaishnab movement preached Krishna bhakti ; devotion to Lord Krishna.The poems and songs became an important medium for propagating bhakti cult.As the mainstay for the themes of those songs Jaydev stood out to be the earliest principal source.He is regarded as the adipadkarta or the earliest composer of Vaisnab songs.Thus from Jaydev's period Krishna lore was accepted as the universal source material for composing Vaishnab songs.
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Earlier the Vaishnab singers are majorly consisting of 'Mahajans' or 'Gurus'. So Vaishnab Padabali also known as "Mahajan Padabali".Vaishnab Padabali are divided into four categories:
1) Radha-Krishna Padabali
2) Gour Padabali
3) Bhajan Padabali
4) Ragatwik Padabali
As Shri Chaitanya Deb makes Vaishnab Padabali popular, many songs are composed on the life-story of Shri Chaitanya Deb also.Although thousands of Vaishnab songs are based on Lord Krishna.Songs based on Chaitanya Deb are sung as the Vaishnab religious exercise.
The Vaishnab Padabali also commonly known as "Padabali Kirtan" because the musical style in which Vaishnab Padabali are sung is called Kirtan,continued to form the mainstream Bengali art music when the indigenous growth of music in Bengal was hampered by the onslaught of incoming Hindustani musical forces.Thus, Vaishnab music was extremely influential in the evolution of Indian musical tradition and Vaishnab Padabali left a lasting mark on Bengali literature for eight to ten hundred years which is perhaps no less than a miracle.
References:
Padabali Kirtaner Itihash - Swami Praganananda
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